William "Willie" Spencer (November 11, 1895 - October 2, 1963) was a naturalized

Naturalization

Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....

 American professional bicycle racer

Bicycle racing

Bicycle racing is a competition sport in which various types of bicycles are used. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, bike trials, and cycle speedway. Bicycle racing is recognised as an Olympic sport...

 in the early 1900s. A world record holder for the quarter mile, he also won the American Sprint Championship three times.

History

The English-born Spencer entered the world of professional bicycle racing in 1916. He had several significant victories in his early years, including twice placing 4th in the American Sprint Championship, before he was drafted for six months of service in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. After his release in January 1919, Spencer continued racing, clocking victories around the world and, in 1920, setting a world record while racing in Australia for doing 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) in 25 seconds. In 1922, 1923 and 1926, he won the American Sprint Championship. Spencer became an American citizen in 1947. He was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in 2005.